MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) learned of the change from sources close to the fighters.

UFC on FOX 5 takes place Dec. 8 at KeyArena in Seattle. The Assuncao-Easton bantamweight fight is expected be part of the Facebook-streamed preliminary card following additional preliminary bouts on Facebook and prior to the night’s main card on FOX.

Easton now prepares for his third different opponent as Caraway was also an injury replacement after he stepped in for T.J. Dillashaw.

Assuncao enters the fight on the strength of back-to-back UFC bantamweight wins over Issei Tamura and Johnny Eduardo. Those results were earned after a UFC 128 loss to Erik Koch led Assuncao to drop from featherweight to 135 pounds.

Assuncao teased the change earlier in the day when he tweeted, “Try … All of a sudden just get on a strict diet.” He now has a little more than two weeks to make 136 pounds.

Easton brings an eight-fight win streak to the fight. He debuted with the UFC a little more than a year ago with a TKO of Byron Bloodworth. Since then, he has decision wins over Jared Papazian and Ivan Menjivar, the latter coming in July at UFC 148 in Las Vegas.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.